The Wenchuan Earthquake - Report Example

The wenchuan earthquake. Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Introduction. An earthquake is a geographical natural disaster or aspect of occurrence. In geography, the term earthquake also known as tremor is the perceptible shaking of the Earth surface resulting from the sudden release of energy beneath the Earth's crust, and this creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can sometimes be violent enough to throw people around and also destroy whole cities. The seismicity of an earthquake in an area is called frequency, and it depends on the size and type of the action. Earthquakes are experienced over a period and with different intensities depending on geographical location of an area along the belt (Mittler, 2010, p.775). Wenchuan earthquake was so massive and enormously devastating tremor that happened in the central mountainous region of Sichuan province in the southwestern China on May 12, 2008. The epicenter of the 8.0 quake magnitude was located near the city of Dujiangyan, about 80 km northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, at an approximated depth of 19 km. The quake is believed to be caused by the collision of the Indian-Australian and Eurasian plates in the 249km long Longmenshan Fault, According to (Haerens & Zott, 2013, p.43). The stresses made by the northward-moving Indian-Australian plate moved a portion of the Tibet plateau eastward. As a result, Compressional forces brought on by this shift trimmed the ground in two positions along the fault, pushing the ground upward by approximately 9 meters in some places. Environmental effects of the earthquake. Effects on the physical environment. Faulting and Ground Rupture When the earthquake occurred, there were a lot of ground breakage and rupture that were witnessed across the country. It’s a geographic event that when an earthquake or tremor occurs, grounds rupture rapidly causing fault lines that will cause ground movement. The constructions that were built adjacent to the fault lines could not survive, and other structures that were also built across these zones also collapsed (Johnston & Parrot, 2008, p.33). Landslides and ground subsidence Landslides, Avalanches, slumps and rock slides are always triggered by ground shaking. There were many landslides when Sichuan earthquake occurred. This caused several deaths in the cities affected. To be precise, are the residential areas in Alaska were destroyed by a shock induced landslide as well as are in downtown Anchorage due to the trauma caused by the earthquake. Damage to man-made structures. There were several damages that were caused by mudflows caused by the earthquake on the man-made facilities (Kafer, 2013, p.54). Damage to structures, such as access roads, bridges, dams and several buildings were numerous due to the intensity of the tremor. Hundreds of bridges were not left to chance as the forces of the earthquake hit the nation. Besides, buildings could not stand the forces since they aren’t flexible and break wen subjected to enormous forces of shake. Some of these damages such as roads resulted in several deaths since they made a quick response by the government bodies and rescue services more difficult. Fires. Fire is a faster destruction agent. These fires, often associated with broken electrical and gas lines were some of the main side effects of the earthquake. Gas was set free as gas lines were broken and a spark from the broken electric line brought an "inferno". This disaster was tough to tame as the water pipes were also broken making it difficult to extinguish the fire hence more destruction. Pollution. The tremor caused different types of pollution. Water pollution occurred extensively as there were breaking in the water lines causing entry of soil particles and germs. In addition to that, the water got contaminated due to mixing with gas from the leaking gas cylinders. There was also air pollution from the incidence. Few minutes from the incident, it was very difficult to see across the many affected cities like Chengdu due to dust that was caused by the breaking buildings in town. Leakage from the destroyed gas cylinders also added up to the pollution. The poisonous gas also killed some people as it facilitated suffocation of those who were trapped in the building blocks. Ecosystem destruction. The Ecosystem was largely affected by the earthquake. Both human and animals habitat were destroyed by the tremor. Many people were left homeless due to the rampant destructions that were witnessed in the over 40 cities that were affected. Other animals such as birds and fish were also affected since their habitats were destroyed or polluted making survival more difficult. Usually, earthquakes change environments in subtle ways. Like in the China incident earthquake epicenter was near a forest, it knocked trees down destroying habitats for monkeys and other animals. Effects on social aspects. Loss of lives and disappearance of people was a common aftermath of the massive destruction. Families lost their breadwinners and children in the event. The social bonds were broken as others could not be easily traced, and others have disappeared up to date. The trauma caused by this disaster ensured some people move down from riches to poverty as their investments were fully wiped out by the destruction. Disabilities. Some of the injuries sustained during the earthquake brought disability to some people. Some broken bones could not be fixed in hospitals, and this condition changed the social life of the victims. Others were affected mentally by their new acquired state of inability giving them mental problem (Nixon 2011, p.11) Effects on Women. Reproductive health of women was adversely affected. A great number of women miscarried their unborn kids due to stress and shock. Research by UNICEF on the reproductive health of women In December 2009 indicated a reduced level of new pregnancies and newborn babies, and this was blamed to the effects of the earthquake. Changes caused by the quake Vegetation changes. On vegetation, there were many changes that are notable for the disaster. More so from those areas that were next to forests or next to water bodies. On the forested areas, there was the emergence of new vegetation. This was because the trees that fell due to the abrupt shake ensured that the sunlight penetrated the ground hence allowing other stunted plants to grow. Still on forested areas, the broken trees also destroyed young vegetation as the broken canopies blocked the young plants leading to their death. Still on vegetation, the earthquake shifted the river flow making new channels. This ensured that the old channels dried up, and new channels were formed. On the original course, plants grew to form new vegetation and on the new path, plants died due to water flow. Change on city environment Before the occurrence of the disaster, there was a densely, well-arranged building as planned by the city planners over the years. The drainage systems were always well arranged and worked by the city manual. When the Earthquake occurred, all these changed as the buildings were so much destroyed that the planning could not be observed. Some buildings were destroyed completely and could not be traced (McCarthy, Hartzell & Petersen, 2012, p.101). The drainage systems were also adversely changed since the tunnels were broken and destroyed. The city sewerage systems were also spoilt littering the city with bad smell from the burst pipes broken by the earthquake. Government response to earthquake in developing countries. There is a many emerging trend of bigger government capacity and willingness to respond to emergencies such as earthquakes and other natural disasters. For instance, the ever growing economy in China and Asia-Pacific regions implies that there are numerous nations with a great deal of considerable resources of their own that will enable them to respond to disasters accordingly. Both catastrophe readiness and national reaction capacity have been suggestively reinforced. Of the each of the 37 secured by the OCHA Regional Office, 36 of them have built up a sound national disaster‐management group and powers, appointed to figure capacity and organize domestic response exercises in occurrence of a disaster. There is likewise development in military capacity for, and participation in disaster management throughout the affected regions. On a study done on this, Bangladesh was found to be having a long tradition of domestic response to humanitarian disasters and that this reaction is, ‘increasing and expanding by source and type. It is also becoming quicker, well-organized and reasonably well accomplished. Even though most African states are not that affected by earthquakes more often, they have to be ready to tackle other natural disasters like floods and even small tremors that may occasionally hit their countries. Many of these states have also improved tremendously on their response and reaction to the catastrophe. Most developing countries have embraced the following pillars; Identifying and minimizing risks that are necessary to reduce r the impact of disasters once they occur. This part includes perceiving risks by examining information on geographic, environmental, and social susceptibilities, and building these valuations into medium-term extension arrangements. Engaging in danger lessening mindfulness Reduction of risk, as the second and important pillar, includes structural and sectorial enhancements to reduce physical susceptibilities. For instance, the action of migrating one community from an area which is prone to disaster to a more safer grounds, fortifying usage of construction laws, retrofitting existing structures, or development of dams or repositories in deserts. While extravagant in advance, this is one of the most ideal approaches to manage the shocks with the chief return over the long term (Weil, 2013, p.23). Self-insurance Self-insurance involves building sufficient investments and reserves in good times to draw down in the event of a disaster. Money that is used to ensure faster reaction to assist those affected by these disasters. Many developing countries are trying to save their funds rather than to depend on donor funding that may arrive a little late after the catastrophe. Indeed, even the same External borrowing and contraptions like funds meant for stabilization and buffer stocks may likewise ease the effect of normal catastrophes. However, especially in developing countries, self-insurance and numerous other external vindication instruments could be high and will redirect the already scarce resources from the areas where they are significantly needed. It is, in this way, critical to assess the possible ex-post impact and the likelihood of a disaster occurring. Risk transfer insurance This will be responsible for ostensibly transferring risks to capital markets and investors. This conveys the most ideal approach to lessen the expenses of major disasters and give a fast cash to reconstruct the infrastructure that is damaged as a result of a disaster. Recent studies demonstrate that nations with more profound insurance mechanisms have the best results in regards to lower output and welfare misfortunes in both the short and long term (Somerville, 2015, p.20). Global relief efforts have oftentimes been censured for disregarding, sidelining or effectively disheartening local capacities. For instance, the cases of flooding calamity zones, poaching staffs attached to the local government, neglecting to organize appropriately with host governments, demonstrating insufficient appreciation for the nearby local authorities and dissolving the social contract by making it easy for governments to evade their obligations. Even though new policies and inter‐agency rules contain clear duties to building national limits, the practice most of the time fall short of the prevailing rhetoric. These glitches have frequently prompted strained and even uncalled for relations amongst states and the international communities. Case in point, some administration authorities attached to the local governments may conceptualize aid organizations as being over‐resourced, incompletely unaccountable, and donor‐driven, with some overpaid staff. In the meantime, numerous international organizations may be of the opinion that some governments are incompetent, corrupt and unhelpfully. Notwithstanding when it is risky to work with a government on issues that touch on calamities, it is noteworthy to take a long‐term view, taking into account that it will eventually take responsibility for conveyance of rudimentary services. It is still critical to regard state sovereignty and to endeavor to incorporate the government however much as could reasonably be expected regardless of the possibility that aid is given fundamentally through non‐state agencies. One method for doing this is 'shadow systems alignment'. This framework is mainly focused on trying to avoid the debilitating the state's ability to deliver services later on. In the short term, shadow system alignment would sort out the delivery of aid to be in line with existing or future state structures instead of copying or undermining them. The long‐term aim is for the provision of these services by the government. Most developing nations are implementing the Shadow systems. It includes arrangement of a method that does not give control over resources to any government, however uses set out structures, institutions or plans that are parallel to but all around coordinated with existing or conceivable state plans. The key of this framework is to guarantee that alternate systems put in place to battle catastrophes are compatible with each other, so outside intercessions are likewise developed as parallel but reliable organizational structures and working strategies. A crucial component is that of delivering information and creating operational frameworks, for example, spending plan cycles and orders, authoritative limits, honest accounting procedures and good audit systems and staffing structures in a perfect arrangement. The governments have improved and embraced new systems and technologies in helping tame natural disasters as they occur. Even with the advancement, there are still needed to educate the people on how to cope up with these disasters as they occur. References Haerens, M. & Zott, L. (2013). Natural disasters. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Johnston, M. & Parrot, M. (2008). Electromagnetic effects of earthquakes and volcanoes. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Kafer .A (2013)‘Bodies of Nature; the environment politics of disability’ from Feminist, Queer, Crip. Indiana UP. Page (11-17) McCarthy, J., Hartzell, S., & Petersen, M. (2012). ANSS, reducing the devastating effects of earthquakes. [Reston, Va.]: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Mittler, E. (2010). Evaluating Alternative National Earthquake Insurance Programs. Earthquake Spectra, 6(4). Nixon. R ( 2011) from an introduction to Slow Violence and environmentalism of the poor. Cambridge; Harford UP. 11(3) Somerville, P. (2015). EARTHQUAKE MECHANISM AND STRONG GROUND MOTION. Earthquake Spectra, 11(S1). Weil, A. (2013). Earthquakes. [Costa Mesa, Calif.]: Saddleback Educational Pub.Page23(1). Read More